German foreign minister Johann Wadephul today guaranteed that his country will not participate in a mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz, currently blocked by Iran’s retaliatory actions against the US and Israel.
“We will not take part in the confrontation,” Wadephul said in an interview with public broadcaster ARD, cited by EFE. He was responding to a question about US president Donald Trump’s call for other countries affected by the Hormuz blockade to ensure freedom of navigation.
On Saturday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he hoped “China, France, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and others affected by this artificial restriction send ships to the area so that the Strait of Hormuz is no longer a threat from a completely leaderless nation.”
The US and Israeli attack on Iran led the country to block the Strait of Hormuz — a critical chokepoint for around 20% of the world’s oil and gas production destined for southeast Asia. Wadephul clarified that Berlin is waiting for a position from the United States and Israel on ending the offensive before it can address the security question. “Security in the Strait of Hormuz, and also in the Red Sea, will come when there is a negotiated solution and when there are talks with the Iranians,” he said.
The German minister also expressed scepticism about expanding the “Aspides” naval mission — created to protect commercial vessels in the Red Sea from Houthi rebel attacks — to the Strait of Hormuz, given that it is currently not “effective.” “We have already seen that much of the commercial shipping that is so important for us in Europe and should be using the Red Sea cannot do so because it is not effective,” he added.
Read more about this topic: Iran War: Trump urges NATO and China to help reopen Strait of Hormuz (with video)
Meanwhile, Trump and British prime minister Keir Starmer today discussed “the current situation in the Middle East and the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz to end the disruption to global maritime traffic, which is increasing costs worldwide,” according to a Downing Street spokesperson.
